He Looks Good In Red
by mad dragonqueen
Summary: Whatever happened to Jayne Cobb to turn him into the heartless mercenary we know and love? He couldn't have always been that way... could he?


**Disclaimer:** _Firefly_ is the property of Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, Mutant Enemy, and Universal Pictures. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended, and no money is being made.

He Looks Good In Red

Alvanyeh, 2499

The room was smoky with incense, the musky scent of sandalwood trying desperately to mask the odors of sweat and alcohol. There was laughter, and chatter and the general sound of a popular tavern. One group in particular was especially loud as they sat in a closed off room playing tall card and drinking. Belly dancers moved to the Indian music, and coins and metal trinkets on their scanty dresses clinked with the drumbeats. The décor was lush and sensual, with rich purples and greens. Everything resembled an Indian palace. The group playing tall card seemed oblivious to it all. Except for one. 

Jayne Cobb laughed, played his cards, and drank, but he never stopped watching the room. He senses were on overload, and had been ever since he'd touched down on Alvanyeh two weeks ago. There was always something to look at, something to see, or touch, or feel. Jayne liked to have his hands on things. He liked to be busy. His home had been a prairie moon. Nothing to look at, or do, but the same things everyday. 

"Hey, Cobb, how many cards?" asked the dealer. Jayne couldn't remember his name. 

"Oh, uhh…three." Three seemed like a good number. Or not, he sighed, as the dealer passed him the tall. "I fold," he said, laying down his cards. The dancer outside the curtain that separated their little room from the main one was far more interesting than cards anyway. Who cared if he lost a few platinum? Money wasn't everything. 

"'Scuse me." He stood from the table, managing his bulk with surprising grace. His mother had always told him he was a big kid. Now at 22, he was a monster. He stepped through the curtain into the main room and turned towards the dancer; she smiled at him seductively, black eyes sparkling. 

"_Wan shang hao_, little lady." She was probably older than him, but he didn't care.

"_Wei_, there." She smiled even bigger, and winked. She didn't even stop dancing to talk to him. "First time on Alvanyeh?" she asked. 

"How'd ya tell?" 

"You've got a look about you. Wide-eyed. You are infatuated with this place." She was reading him like a book. Not that he minded. Her voice was deep, and resembled the lushness of the room. She enunciated every syllable carefully, and her "r's" were rolled. 

"I never been off-world before. Malta ain't got much in'trestin' stuff… uh… on it." She giggled. 

"Shall I dance for you?" She didn't wait for an answer. She deftly maneuvered them through the crowds of people to some extravagant pillows and seated him, lotus-style, on a large, red one. He grinned lecherously as she danced. Her skin was coffee-colored and silky to the touch. Her long black hair moved with her body in sensuous waves, and her smile contained a promise. He noted vaguely that he had intended to seduce, and ended up being seduced. It didn't really matter anyway. End result was the same. She danced and he watched. Someone brought him a smoking drink later, sickly sweet and sticky. His head swam, and he began to feel he might never leave Alvanyeh. 

She was pulling him up, pulling him toward her. He stumbled, she steadied him, and lead him away from the crowds. When they stopped, it was noticeably quieter, and the incense was gone. He could hear her voice, coming from somewhere far away, and the rhythm of the drums vibrating through the floor and into the soles of his feet. Then she was kissing him, and he crushed her lips, and kicked off his boots. She pulled him toward her, and he fumbled with his belt, savagely exploring her mouth with his tongue. They fell over onto something soft. She was giggling, there was a flash of dusky skin, and Jayne remembered no more.

~*~

Hours later Jayne awoke with a pounding headache. He was sprawled across the bed, one arm draped across the dancer's chest, and a leg pinning hers down. The room was horribly bright, and his head ached abominably. The dancer murmured something sleepily, and Jayne rolled away from her. He buried his face in a pillow and breathed deeply. Slowly and with great care, he stood up from the bed and began to search around for his pants. 

The belly dancer yawned loudly, causing Jayne to jump and drop his pants. She was stretching, and he thought she looked a bit like a cat. He hurriedly pulled his pants up and fastened them, casting his glance around for his shirt. He spotted it lying across a chair. It was missing a few buttons and was torn. She giggled.

"Here." She tossed him a t-shirt she pulled out of a dresser. She had gotten out of bed and was rummaging through drawers. He couldn't help staring at her nubile form. She stood up and smiled at him knowingly before wrapping a loose robber around herself. "_Zao shang hao_." 

He snorted. "Not exactly." She giggled again and walked into an adjoining room. She came out seconds later with a vile in one hand. 

"Drink this. It will make the headache go away." He eyed the vile suspiciously and sniffed it. With a mental shrug, he downed the contents and placed the vile on a table.

"Thanks, uhh…" He felt awkward not knowing her name. She laughed again.

"Kamna." 

"Ah. Jayne Cobb."

"Pleasure to meet you, Jayne." There was laughter in her voice and eyes. "Why don't you stay with me today?" she asked as she went about her toiletry. "I will show you Alvanyeh like no one else." She winked at him, and he knew he could never say no. 

Jayne was feeling much better a half an hour later as he and Kamna emerged from the tavern into the one-laned street. It was busy this time of day, with people walking about with carts and crates. She pointed them in the direction of the market place, her delicate sandals kicking up tiny puffs of dirt as she walked. 

The marketplace was even more crowded than the streets, and noisier. The vendors were loudly advertising their wares and haggling with customers. There were many fruit stands, and Jayne was awestruck at the low prices. Kamna saw his expression and understood its meaning.

"Alvanyeh is an orchard planet. You can buy fruit cheap here, because we have so much of it." She purchased oranges for breakfast, and Jayne ate his with reverence, savoring each segment as it burst and filled his mouth with juice. 

"How long have you lived on Alvanyeh?" he asked.

"I was born here. My father owns an orchard outside of the city." 

"Well, how long have you lived in the city then?"

"I came to Praja three years ago. My mother worked here in the city until she met my father. She always wanted to come back, so I came back for her." She smiled and let go of his hand, walking slightly ahead of him.

Jayne had been to the marketplace several times already, but he never failed to be amazed by the things being sold. Some stands had delicate glasswares, and another sold intricately carved sandalwood boxes, and yet others had paintings of women in lotus wearing beautiful headdresses. If he'd had money, he'd have bought something. 

"Where are we goin'?" he asked when finally he caught up to her. 

"To the river. You have never seen such a beautiful river." 

"I ain't never seen any river," he said, remembering the muddy pond behind his mother's house. 

"Then you are in for a surprise." Her voice always held that hint of laughter. 

When they reached the river, Jayne had to agree it was very beautiful. The late morning sun cast a sparkling glare on the water, and the beach was filled with white sand. Kamna untied her sandals and rushed out to the water. Jayne watched as she danced and splashed. Later they rented a small boat and went out on the water to watch the people at work. Jayne could hardly remember a better day in his entire life.

~*~

_Serenity_, 2518

Captain Malcolm Reynolds banged heavily on the door of Jayne's bunk.

"Chow!" he shouted. Jayne looked up from polishing one of his many guns. He carefully placed the weapon back in its place on the wall and replaced the curtain. He dropped the oily rag in the corner before climbing out and heading down the hall. He arrived in the kitchen as everyone was sitting down and took his usual seat, the happy chatter of the crew drumming against his brain. He glared at his plate.

"Surely not. I wouldn't dream of getting in your way," said Inara, her voice lilting facetiously. 

"Well, I don't think it'll be a problem," replied Mal, passing her a dish. Wash passed him something, and Jayne spooned a brownish sort of mush onto his plate, ignoring questions or comments passed his way. 

"We'll touch down on Hero tomorrow. Fin'ly get rid of this cargo, maybe pick up something new," Mal was saying. The thought of being able to walk around outside brightened Jayne's mood a little. Maybe they'd be planet-side long enough for him to visit a bar. His mood improved, he joined the conversation, and later participated in a game of Chinese checkers with the Doc and the Shepherd. 

The next day they landed on Hero, and Jayne, weapons in tow, went with the Captain and Zoë to deliver their cargo. 

"What in hell are we sellin', anyway?" he asked, scuffing the dirt with his boot heel.

"Genseed," answered Mal. Jayne snorted. Two men came walking up to them from the opposite direction, hauling a cart behind them. 

"Wellll, didn't expect to see ya here on time," said the taller of the two; he grinned, showing yellowed, chipped teeth. Jayne instantly distrusted him. "Got the stuff?" The Captain nodded, prying the lid off one of the boxes so the tradesman could see the contents. The man appeared to consider while sucking his teeth. 

"Alright, I'll pay yer askin' price." The money was transferred, the traders loaded the three boxes into their cart, and Mal, Zoë, and Jayne headed back to _Serenity_. Jayne decided not to comment on how smoothly the deal went down. 

"Kaylee needs some parts, so we'll leave in an hour. Give her some time to get what she needs. You're all free to do what you want until then, but if you leave the ship, be back here, or we'll take off without you." Mal went about his business, and Jayne turned to go with Kaylee to the town. 

"Jayne," called the Captain before he could leave, "don't get drunk." 

"Yessir, Cap'n, sir." Jayne stood up straight and saluted. Kaylee giggled and punched him, and they left for the town together. 

~*~

Jayne leaned against the railing, fiddling with his knife and looking down on the cargo bay -- and River. She was in her bare feet, dancing across the large space. If he was quiet enough, he thought he could almost hear the music in her head. It was hard not to be transfixed by her. She was fluid and graceful, her arms following the movements of her body. She looked up at him, and he started. She seemed to be looking through him, and a small smile spread across her face. She spread her arms and closed her eyes and launched into the dance with more passion than before, her long brown hair twisting itself around her neck and face as she twirled. With a little shake of his head, Jayne stood up and walked out of the cargo bay. 

He liked to watch River. He'd started doing it after the time Simon had stood over him in the infirmary, proposing a truce. He didn't really know why. Maybe just to make sure she didn't get into any trouble. He felt partly responsible for her, now. He tried not to think about it too much. After a while, it just began to hurt his brain. The whole thing didn't make any kind of sense, and he knew if he tried to figure it out, it would lead him down paths he was not ready to travel again. 

As he walked down the hall to his bunk, he ran into Book.

"Jayne, I was looking for you. I was wondering if you'd spot for me?" He gestured with one hand in the direction Jayne had come from.

"Uhh, sure, Shepherd. Jus' lemme get rid o' this." He held up his knife, and the Shepherd nodded. He waited while Jayne left his knife on his bunk, and they went to the cargo bay. 

Book settled down on the bench, dropping a towel at his feet. Jayne positioned himself at his head, his eyes scanning the large room. River was gone. 

~*~

Alvanyeh, 2499

"_Tian xiao de_, watch what you're doing!" shouted Mick as Jayne swung a heavy box over the edge of the boat onto the dock. 

"Sorry." He clapped his hands together and jumped down from the boat. "I'm hungry," he said vigorously. Mick gave him a sour look and hefted the box up. 

"Well, come on, then." He headed away from the river, and Jayne followed, grinning all the way. 

The tavern was as busy and noisy as usual. Mick left the box at the bar, and he and Jayne bought drinks. They joined a group sitting on sofas and talking quietly. 

"I'm tellin' ya, it'll work." 

"What'll work?" asked Mick, sitting down next to the man who had spoken, a blonde man Jayne knew from home. He had a weasely look to him Jayne had never liked. 

"See, we got this plan to join up with some fellas Brick knows, out in Derbya. They got this ship, see, and we can get off-world in the next week. They'll be in Praj' on Wednesday." The blonde man, Harper, was sitting on the edge of the sofa, his eyes glassy with drink. 

"That ain't right," Jayne said softly. "We gotta get documented, er whatever ya call it, first." The men glared at Jayne.

"Don' be a wet blanket, Jayne," said the aforementioned Brick. He was a twitchy fellow, and he had to squint to see because he refused to wear glasses. 

"I'm jus' sayin'. 'Sides, I thought we were gonna be on Alvan' longer," he grumbled, taking a drink and avoiding the men's eyes. 

"Jayne, there's a war gonna start," said Harper, " and I don't mean to be caught on this planet when it does. Alvanyeh's important, and big. It'll be a target fer sure, and I ain't aiming to fight in no war. No way." Harper took a drink and shook his head again. The other men agreed with him. 

A war. Hell, he didn't want to get involved in a war, either. Nothing good could come of that. He sighed and finished his drink. Later Kamna came for him, and he succumbed to her offerings and pretended he wasn't going to leave Praja. 

~*~

_Serenity_, 2518

"Watch yerself, Kaylee." Jayne swatted her rear and leered at her retreating form. She shot a glare at him over her shoulder. He grinned, and Zoë pinched him. "Ow. That hurt," he said, rubbing his arm. 

"It was supposed to." Zoë calmly walked away from him, heading toward the bridge. He followed her, settling himself in a corner and taking out his knife to fiddle with it. The Captain was standing over Wash in quiet conference, and Zoë had joined them.

"What're you doin' in here?" Mal asked him.

"Nuthin'." He looked up in wide-eyed innocence, the knife tip resting gently on his forefinger. The Captain shook his head and turned back to Wash.

"If that happens, can you get us out?" he asked.

"Well, I think so. I mean… Yes… yes, sir. Yes I can." Wash smiled goofily, but there was an underlying hint of uncertainty. Zoë patted his shoulder reassuringly. 

"What's goin' on?" Jayne asked. He didn't like to be left out of things.

"We're touchin' down on a moon that ain't likely to be too friendly with us -- Maddix." Jayne vaguely remember the place. It was an Alliance-friendly moon they'd done business on about 6 months before they'd taken on passengers at Persephone. The job hadn't gone down well, and they'd been chased out of the town by angry settlers with sticks.

"Uh, why are we goin' back there?" 

"Got no choice. We need work, and they've got it. Keep a gun handy, though." 

"Always do." He grinned. Mal nodded and left the bridge. Jayne continued to sit there and fiddle with his knife for a few minutes, until he noticed Wash and Zoë staring at him.

"Er…rrright. I'll just let yew two get to yer… uh…" he chuckled and stood up, enjoying the clunk as his feet his the floor. He walked out, still chuckling and grinning. 

~*~

Malta, 2481

"Jaaayne!" A heavy woman, her hands on her hips and a fierce look on her face stood on the rickety front porch of a small, rickety house. "You git back here right now!" A few chickens pecked at the ground in front of her, and a four-year old boy, rather large for his age, trudged toward the house from somewhere out in the dusty fields. 

"I been callin' you fer half an hour, dumb boy. Ain't you got ears?" She hit him roughly upside the head. He ducked into the house to escape further blows.

"I heard ya, Aunt Bitty," he grumbled. She smacked him again. 

"Well, yew oughta' learn when to come when yer called. Yer muther's been in the bedroom all this time I been callin' yew, and yew ain't even comin' to help 'er out. Rotten kid." She glared at him fiercely. However Jayne brightened at her words, raising his head to look at his aunt with hope in his eyes. 

"Ya mean…?" 

"Well, whadya think I mean? Git in there." She gestured to the other room wildly and returned to her business. Jayne stood up from the table and rushed in to see his mother. 

"Ma?" he called, stepping into the room as quietly as he could lest he should disturb something. 

"Jayne? Comere, baby," said the woman, lying on the bed. Her voice, usually vibrant with warmth and laughter, was weak and weary. Jayne walked over to her and gently sat down on the egde of the bed, taking his mother's hand. 

"You alright, ma?" He was intensely worried about her. She looked so pale and tired. Nothing like his cheery, rosy-cheeked, energetic mother. 

"Yeah, o'course, Jayne. Mama's just tired. You see, in a few hours, yer gonna have yer very own lil' brother er sister." She grinned, and for a moment the life returned to her face. It reassured Jayne. 

"I need you to do somethin' fer me, Jayne." She gripped his hand tightly and looked him in the eye. Jayne swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded solemnly. 

"Now, I need you to run down to the mill and get yer father. Can you do that, Jayne?" He nodded again, greatly impressed by the sincerity of the situation. 

"Good boy, now get." He stood up, forgetting to be quiet and careful, and ran through the house and out the front door, ignoring Bitty's calls behind him.

The chickens scattered as he ran by, clucking with indignance. He continued running out into the fields, pumping his little legs as fast as they would go. The mill was quite a ways away from the Cobb household, but Jayne had been there before, and this was important. He continued running past the boys in the ditch who called his name, determined to bring his father home. He ran over three fields until he reached the mill. 

It was huge and dusty, and men shouted things Jayne was sure Bitty would faint to know he'd heard. He didn't know how he was going to find his father among so many people. He started down into they valley where the mill was nestled, scanning the place for his father's familiar dark head. 

"Pa?!" he began to call as he walked between the machinery, trying to keep the dust out of his nose and mouth. "Pa?" he called again. 

"Jayne?" His father's deep, bass voice came from nearby, and one of the loud _whirring_ sounds stopped. A head peeked out from behind a large piece of machinery. Jayne recognized his father, even beneath the thick goggles. "Jayne, what're yew doin' here?" He climbed down from his seat, taking off his goggles and running a heavy, calloused hand across his forehead. 

"Ma sent me to get you! That baby's comin'!" he shouted eagerly. Before he knew it, he was perched on his father's shoulders, high, high above ground, and heading back to their ramshackle home. 

When they arrived, Jayne could hear his mother screaming. 

"Pa?" he said, worriedly. 

"You stay in the kitchen." His father placed him on the floor, and without another word disappeared into the bedroom. Jayne sat down at the table and slumped over, trying to cover his ears so he wouldn't hear. His mother was screaming and Bitty was talking to her in an encouraging tone. 

~*~

"Jayne. You can come in, now." Jayne sat up, startled. He'd fallen asleep and hadn't realized it. He scrambled up from the table and went to his father, standing in the doorway to the bedroom. He walked in, once again quiet and careful not to disturb anything. His mother was propped up with pillows, her face red, and her hair, a matted, red-blonde tangle, was clinging to her face and neck. She held a tiny bundle in her arms. She was smiling at it. 

"Ma?" She looked up at him, grinning. 

"This is Jimi, your sister." Jayne looked down at the fat, pink face peeking out from the blankets. His brow furrowed in confusion. 

"I thought I's gonna get a brother," he said, looking up at his parents questioningly. 

"Well, you got a sister," said his father, bending down so he was closer to Jayne's height. "She'll be alright, Jayne. You can teach 'er how to be a boy. Start 'er off right, she'll be just like a little brother."

"Matthew!" exclaimed his mother, swatting at his arm with her free hand. He chuckled. 

"Jayne, she may not be like a boy ever, but you gotta look out fer her just the same, alright?" She looked at him sternly. Jayne nodded. His father laughed again, and Bitty hurried them all out of the room. She set about making porridge, and Jayne was permitted to return to the boys in the ditch. 

They asked him what had happened. Privately, Jayne felt that Jimi was somewhat of a disappointment, but to the boys in the ditch, he made her sound like the first produce of the crop, delivered straight to Malta with no stops. He made sure they all left that ditch thinking he was the luckiest boy in the 'verse. Jayne liked it that way. It kept things easy. 

**Author's Note**: Alright, just a few things. First, I know that the line from _Firefly_ was actually "He looks better in red." But I changed it because it sounds better as a story title, and it also fits with the story better thematically and metaphorically, which you'll see why later. Um, okay time to list my resources. The Chinese came from and the meanings are as follows:

_Wan shang kao_- Good evening  
_Wei_- hey  
_Zao shang hao_- Good morning  
_Tian xiao de_- In the name of all that's sacred 

The name of Jayne's little Alvanyeh girlfriend is Indian, and it's Sanscrit meaning is "desire." I forgot which website I got that from, so I'm unable to list it. 

The dates came from the greatest Timeline ever, and can be seen at 

Thanks to Audrey for being awesome.


End file.
